The Girl Next Door
by Akemi Maxwell
Summary: Duo tells himself a story from his diary about poor Heero falling for the girl next door. OOC-ness. Complete.


The girl next door

By Akemi Maxwell

Started: 5-19-04

Finished: 11-14-04

Standards disclaimers apply- do you read? I DO NOT OWN. You should know that by now.

AN: Yeah, it's been a while huh? You probably thought I was dead. I've been busy for such a long time; I feel that I have lost the drive to write. I am trying to get back in the habit, hoping that this creative side of me will NEVER die! WOOT! ( )'s are when Duo comments or talks to himself in the third person...0o yes, very strange indeed.

I'd heard this kinda stuff was happening to someone, so I changed it around a bit, and thought it would be an interesting story to write off of, and anyway, hasn't it happened to everyone at one point or another??

Summary: I, Duo Maxwell, am about to explain a sad story of a boy that fell in love with a preppy. No offense to any actual preps.

Hello Mr. Or Miss, whoever the hell is reading this, I would like to congratulate you for finding my journal. You know, my life hasn't gone so well in the last fifteen years, you know, with not knowing my father and living in a trailer park all my life. That is why I write. I wanted to write my feelings, thoughts, memories and currencies, so that I might be able to remember my life when I turn eighteen and move out of this hellhole. Possibly, I'll move in with my buddy Heero. God knows he'll be filthy rich that smart bastard. I can only imagine that he has a good paying job, something that probably involves technology, like computers. Anyway, if this is not older Duo reading this, you can either read it or burn it, it doesn't matter to me anymore, and anyway Duo, you moron, you're probably dead (and yes I'm talking about myself in the 3rd person, I tend to do that...)

So, anyway, I know that I promised you a story, but let me give you a brief updating on the setting. I live in a trailer park. My mother is a whore and I hate her. I sleep on a mattress on the floor. What more can I say? I go to a nice public school here in California (yes you actually made it to high school). I try as hard as I can to pass my classes, though I only come as far as Cs and Bs but it's a passing grade right? I'm kinda' what some people would call a 'punk' but just because I dress and act bad, doesn't make me a punk, but you would too if you where brought up like I was (which you were).

Heero is my buddy. We've been friends since we were babies. Back when mom was still full of hopes and dreams (and pregnant with you, you S.O.B), she used to clean Heero's house when he was still in his mum's tummy. They were good friends, and after Heero and I were born, which were born four months apart, they became even closer. Mother would always bring me over to play with Heero. We were like siblings, always together no matter what silly little adventure we were on and whatever came our way, we would weather it together. I believe it was those five years of my life that left an imprint of kindness and happiness that I barely feel nowadays.

Heero was four when his parents died in a car accident. Being four months older than him, I was five at the time. Everything went downhill from there. Heero's recently divorced grandfather moved in to take care of him. As for my life, mom was stricken with grief. The only true friend she had ever had in her lifetime was dead. She most likely got depressed and from then on after, started taking drugs or something, I don't know. She also started prostituting. Let me tell you, I've seen a lot of men in my life, but I've never seen my own father, and that is because mom had been fooling around with him in high school, which she had dropped out of. I guess when mom told him the news about me; he abandoned her like a puppy in the rain. Mom had also been, and is still, coping with that.

Getting back to the current time, Heero is a smart kid, you know, the one that gets A's all the time and when one of his grades slips to a B freaks out like the world is ending. He's not considered a 'dork' he's just...slightly different. He lives in a nice two-story house in a nice cul-de-sac in the nice part of town with his nice old granddad. Heero doesn't seem to be too affected by his parents' death, but time-to-time he becomes depressed. That's where I come in. Aside from his gramps, I take care of Heero. Whatever his grandfather can't answer, I answer it for him the best I can and offer my support. That's what friends are for right? You'd never think that two opposite kids would just click together like that right?

Heero doesn't have many friends. The only other kid he really talks to is a boy named Quatre, but even that boy doesn't really count as a real friend. He says I'm his only BEST friend. I never really quite understood why, but I'm sure, that just as I feel he is important to me, that I am important to him. Of course their were 'groups' at school, you know, the punks, the dorks, the loners, the skaters, and the notorious popular kids, otherwise known as 'preppies'. To me, a preppy is a stuck up rich kid who doesn't talk to anyone outside their group, thinks disabled kids are there for their amusement and thinks they are the shit. Don't get me wrong, not all preppies are bad, some of them are actually pretty nice and sophisticated. It's the cheerleader and jock kind of kids that piss me off. Heero and I would often find ourselves discussing the strange and despicable actions of these preppies and thanking the lord that we weren't like that and that we would never fall victim to one of these villains.

Then it happened. Heero and I were standin' around our lockers when a blonde girl approached us and asked Heero to hold her books for a minute. Of course, being a bit shy and full of kindness, Heero complied. The girl tied her shoe and upon getting back up, she kissed Heero on the cheek with a girly "Thanks". That was the first contact with a girl. After that day, Heero had become obsessed with her. He would wear clothes that he thought would impress her, he would give her gifts, and he would even just say the occasional 'hello'.

Now, not to seem to forward, but I am bisexual. I remember the day I told Heero like it was yesterday. We were walking home from school one day when I had finally decided to tell someone. "Uh...Heero?" I said with my hands tucked in my pant's pockets and my head bowed as I walked on. I had many mixed feelings, and I was wondering if I shouldn't say anything at all. I was always afraid of losing him. He was all I had. If this one thing upset him and he turned his back on me, I would probably become like my mother...that was my worst fear.

"Yeah?" Heero must have heard the uncertainty in my voice and he looked at my face with that familiar look of suspense. I always tell my secrets to Heero, especially about my mother's habits and my current problems. I don't mean to put him in a position where he has to make my decisions for me and answer questions that seem too complicated for our teenaged minds to comprehend, but sometimes I need help and I don't know where else to turn. He's the only person I have to confess to and I'm not about to visit a counselor.

"Uh..." I wanted to say something like 'promise me we will still be friends after this', but that's selfish, and I didn't want to put Heero on the spot. So I told him and waited for the worst to come, "I'm bisexual."

When Heero stopped walking, my heart skipped a beat and it was like my worst fear was coming to life. I stopped too and stared at his feet, waiting for a reply. That's when Heero lifted his head, put a hand on my shoulder and said with a smile, "Duo, I don't mind if you are bisexual, I've always supported you in whatever you needed support in and you know, I support you on this. Sure some things might change, but we will always be friends right?"

I could have kissed him right then and there if it weren't for the fact that we were just friends and were in this specific situation. I mean, I think Heero is quite attractive, but he's just my friend. Sure, there's been those times where I thought he was sexually attractive, and you know, I've never told him that, but I didn't want to put a dent in our friendship by 'acting up' towards him.

I must admit, when that girl kissed Heero on the cheek, I felt a sting of jealousy shoot through my body. That thought of 'he's mine, keep your hands off him' ran through my mind. Then when Heero started to obsess over her, I had to fight that feeling all the time. It was the next day that we found out she was a popular girl. I should have known by the clothes she wore as well as her perfect hair. Mostly it was the way she talked. She talked like a preppy, always talking about normal things in that annoying voice. Popular kids tend to not have hobbies and I mean like FUN hobbies...like comic books and computer stuff. I myself am a pack rat, I keep almost everything I find or buy, like one time I bought a model kit of a Vought F4U Corsair (an American Fighter Plane) and I kept the useless box for a long time.... I mean a VERY long time, for no reason whatsoever.

Anyway, when Heero found out she was a preppy, he told me she was different, and he didn't care. He STILL liked her and he didn't even know her name. I tried to tell him to forget her; she would never go for a guy like him, especially with her reputation among her friends. She was just fooling with him right? Of course she didn't mean anything when she kissed him, that's how some girls are. Heero would not forget her though. I felt kinda' sorry for him; being so naïve, he didn't know she was just fooling with him...but then, she came up to him yet again and made some sexual innuendo about how much pool water she swallowed in P.E, but I don't think Heero noticed it. She kept getting to him every now and then; teasing him inconspicuously.

I remember what happened after he DID find out her name though: Amber. A very preppy name, I know (no offense to peeps named Amber who aren't preps). He became permanently hooked. It seemed that whatever he did was for her. I admit I felt pretty left out. I mean we never could do the things we normally did because Heero's head would always be up in the clouds or he would try to talk with her. I felt like our friendship was falling apart, before I knew it. Then it happened. Heero found out that she lived across the street from him. That was one of the biggest factors that tore us apart.

I spend the night at Heero's almost every night as much as I stay there during the day. His house is like my second home; when things are rough at house and I don't want to be there, Heero's house is my welcoming shelter. Heero's grandpa is incredibly nice; he always leaves the back door open for me because I usually jump the fence to the backyard. He is fun to hang out with too; he has so many stories to tell and gives much advice.

Anyway, so one night I was staying at Heero's. We were doing our normal activities such as discussing current events, you know, typical boy stuff, when Heero brought Amber up, "Do you think I should walk over to her house?"

"Why?" I spat, a tiny speck of bitterness in my voice. I turned to him and looked him in the face, "Heero, don't you think that she was just pulling your leg that one day? Heero, if she really likes you, she would have showed it. Why don't you just ask her and hear what she really thinks." I really wanted to add 'it's better than acting like a fool' but I stopped myself.

Heero seemed to be thinking and finally he said, "Then I'll ask her." With that he stepped off his bed and walked right out of his room, where I heard him say from the staircase, "Wait here. Watch from the window." I then heard him bounce down the rest of the stairs and heard the front door open, where I then saw him lope across the street. At that point, I was appalled. Was he serious? From my position, I saw Heero knock on the front door of the two story white house with ivy growing up the sides. He _was_ serious.

To my surprise it was Amber who opened the door. The smile she wore as opened the door faded when she saw it was this crazy boy. I could see her mouth moving and Heero's jaw was moving, meaning he was talking as well. Suddenly the girl began to laugh, and a strange sneer crept onto her face. She shut the door, leaving Heero standing there. Suddenly Heero turned around...and gave me a thumbs-up!

My jaw almost dropped to the ground. What the hell just happened? I waited until Heero came into the house to ask what happened. He was very happy (if you see Heero this excited, it either means something is up or he had too much sugar).

"She wants to be my girlfriend!" Heero was ecstatic.

Something inside of me seemed to die as I heard those words.

The next week of school was hell. Heero seemed to have just disappeared. When I _did _see him though, he was always with that moronic girl, Amber. Heero seemed a bit happy, but something didn't seem right with him. Other than that, the relationship wasn't really going anywhere. Amber would often walk off without a word to Heero, and he would follow her like a lost puppy. There was no feelings between them...at least on Amber's side. Heero would try to make conversation, but she would always answer with "I don't know..." and "Yeah, whatever". There was no progress between them. It was almost like...she hated him.

None of this made sense to me. If you like someone, _that's _when you ask them out. Amber went out with Heero, but she seemed to hate him. Whenever other student's would ask Heero, "Are you going out with her?" he would reply "Oh, yes," but he seemed sad when he said this. Amber, on the other hand, would say "NO! You're stupid..." blah di blah di blah. It made no sense.

I was in dark times then. I had no one to call 'friend'. I would still go to Heero's house but he was always talkin' to Amber on the phone, and they weren't bright conversations either. Sometimes Heero would actually go to the mall with her and he wasn't home till late, but most of the time he came home empty handed. Amber didn't really go there to shop, just talk with her friends and flirt with other guys, which didn't really bother Heero. None of them even talked to Heero either.

On the days that Heero was gone, I'd hang out with his gramps. Gramps isn't that bad of a guy, he's pretty funny. He always tells me stories from when he was our age. They amused me. We also talked about Heero's situation. Although Gramps was happy that Heero actually made contact with a female, he wasn't too happy about how she treated him. I wasn't either.

This whole charade went on for weeks...and it took a toll on poor Heero I could tell. He just wasn't himself; no interest in his looks or almost anything he did. It broke my heart seeing him that way, and I just wanted to tear that bitch to pieces, but I knew that that one day would come, and sooner that I expected, it did.

Heero came home one day, distraught and confused. I really didn't know what to say, but "I told you so."

"She was with Josh the whole time!! She was having sex with him and everything!" Heero flopped himself onto his bed, his face in the pillow. I watched him, knowing at some point he'd have to breathe. He didn't get up as quickly as I thought he would so I went over to lift him up, but he got up as soon as I moved. "Why would she do this to me? It makes no sense..." Heero said quietly.

"Did ANYTHING she do make sense??" I retorted. I was getting frustrated that once again, Heero was being naïve. When Heero didn't answer, I decided to take the initiative, "Heero, she was using you, you know?"

Heero nodded, looking as if he was just barely beginning to get it. I sighed, almost feeling as if I was accomplishing something. "So you guys broke it off?" Heero nodded again. "That's good...I wouldn't want you to be like that any longer." Heero looked at me.

There was an eerie silence. Heero just kept staring at me...in the eye...like reading me. I felt that looking away would be shameful, so I stared back...with the same visionless face he had.

"I should have listened to you...you stayed by my side the whole time and tried to tell me the truth, without trying to hurt me at the same time..." Heero said slowly and confusedly, as if he didn't know what he was even saying. He stared at me the whole time...it made me uncomfortable.

"Well...I'm your friend right?" I said, trying to shake the uneasiness off me. Heero nodded, smiling. "Besides, there's always more fish in the sea..." Somewhere in my head someone said 'me! Me!' but I shook it away, feeling guilty.

"Yeah," Heero said, and looked up towards his ceiling, "It'll be like old times now, just like it should be." He smiled, laughter bubbling up.

I laughed, "Amen to that!"

The ending didn't come out the way I originally wanted it to, but I guess I've grown out of that phase. I've had this idea of a story in my head since the 7th grade, but hadn't gotten to it because it didn't have a motive (not like it does now) but I guess I found something to put in there. I couldn't think of a better prep name, so I just put Amber. A lot of preps tend to do this kinda stuff, (in a lot smarter ways) and I thought I could speak about it. This story kinda ended abruptly.

I'd like to point out that vigorous sex scenes of any character without any motive is fan rape! I thought those stories were funny...but the people who wrote them just used the characters for there own will....

Random note:

I had some Japanese Poki and rice candy!!! It was awesome!

Listening to: Air by Shiki


End file.
